Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 893274,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/893274/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 440,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ainamoi, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Sylvanus Maritim",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13289,
        "legal_name": "Sylvanus Maritim",
        "slug": "sylvanus-maritim"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I equally support the Report. The telecommunication sub-sector is a key enabler in ICT especially now that the world is drifting towards and advancing in technology. The Report reminds us of where we have come from as a country. About 16 years ago, it was a privilege to own a mobile phone, but right now, almost everybody owns a mobile phone. It reminds us of the days when we could not make phone calls on Fridays because of congestion, but right now, we can make phone calls anywhere anytime. It reminds us of the history of the telecommunication industry where we had several players coming in while others bolted out. The first player was Kencell. It changed to Celtel, Zain, and eventually to Airtel. Right now, we have four main mobile network operators, namely, Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom and Jamii Telkom. Safaricom controls about 65 per cent of the market share in terms of subscriber numbers. The question is how it got there? For a fact, Safaricom has invested heavily in infrastructure. Safaricom has been very innovative. It has special offers to its customers, a scheme that can be replicated by the rest. I still do not understand why a leading mobile operator like Bharti operating in Kenya as Airtel is not investing in Kenya. It is true Safaricom is a dominant player in the country. There is nothing wrong in being dominant, but there is everything wrong in abusing the dominance. We have to ask ourselves where we are heading to as a country. If we are not careful, in the next few years, Safaricom is going to be a monopoly in this country. In as much as it is not our business to assist other operators to make money, we have to also ensure that we have a level playing ground."
}